Working out last at night.

[christdisciple]

Anyone else here have to workout at 9pm? After I get home from work and hang with kids, eat dinner, do bath time and everyone to bed it’s usually ~8 or 9. And no getting up earlier to work out isn’t an option I’m already up at 6 to leave for work.

What do y’all do to stay motivated that late? Anyone doing pre workout mixes?

 

[humbleservant46]

@christdisciple I learned early on that exercising late at night is bad for my sleep hygiene so I always make it a point to lift at the start of my day.

 

[jojobear]

@christdisciple Same schedule as you. Kids aged 2, 6, 8. Bed times ranging from 7:15 to 8:30. It’s a nightly process. Exercise starts between 9 and 10. Last night I started a 6 km run at 9:30 in -14C weather.

My only real advice is to not dilly dally. When the kids are in bed if I lay on the couch beside my wife and watch TV with her for a few minutes, it’s game over. Motivation evaporates. As they say, a body in motion stays in motion. Once I settle down for the night, I can’t turn back to exercising. Have to get kids to bed, then immediately get ready to do my stuff.

 

[helenix]

@christdisciple Yes but it hurts my sleep quality…

 

[steve126]

@christdisciple i used to but couldnt sleep well after my workout. Switched to 5am basement workouts and i am happier than ever.

 

[abcdef]

@christdisciple I used to work out in the morning, but I am not a morning person…workout quality went way up when I started going after 9ish. When I get done, I usually have a shower and head to bed. It lines up with my routine at work too, because I have to leave at 4:45am - there’s no way I’m getting up at 3:15 or earlier to get a workout and shower in before work. So, I get back to town around 7pm, having eaten at work, I go straight to the gym. Then, snack, shower and bed.

 

[johanna1991]

@christdisciple Same here. After work, dinner, and kiddo routine, its then time for the gym. At first it was a pain but once it became routine it got better. I keep headphones and gym clothes in my vehicle at all times. Sometimes I do an energy drink but I try and grind out a good workout at the gym. I usually sleep like a baby afterwards.
My goal is just make it to the truck, then make it to the gym.
Its tough but Ive been consistent for just over a year. Stick with it and keep grinding!

 

[paedwards]

@christdisciple Some days I definitely have to grind out a late night workout. Usually my kids are in bed by 8 as well, so some days that’s the only time I have in my day to train.

At the end of the day it’s about discipline and doing what you need to do.

 

[theblessed_one]

@christdisciple I’ll be that guy and say wake up earlier. The only reason why is that I fully buy in to the idea that morning fitness positively impacts the rest of the day. Also, anecdotally, I think working out late decreases output potential and increases injury potential since you’re already mentally and physically tired. I realize early mornings are hard, but do 10 burpees straight out of bed and tell me you’re not feeling awake.

 

[christdisciple]

@theblessed_one I’ll try it and report back.

 

[andrew58897]

@christdisciple I've a similar schedule to you. I don't live close to a public gym, so the only way I'm working out at 9PM regularly is if I do it at home.

The big thing for me was finding a way to workout at night where I didn't feel like I was going to wake up the whole house. Unfortunately that required me to throw some money at the problem and make myself a more "inviting" home gym.

I'm definitely not a grunter and I don't slam weights, but when you are working out in an unfinished basement directly below where everyone is sleeping, every sound that is made just gets amplified.

This worked during COVID because I was home a lot more and could workout during the day and not really bother anyone, but I needed to be careful at night. Not to mention that all I had was dumbells, an adjustable bench, and some bands on an old throw rug in the basement -- it's not exactly the most exciting place to workout. Not to mention that I felt like I was getting to the "limits" of what I could do with my dumbbells.

Once stuff started becoming available again during COVID, I setup a squat rack in my garage and got some barbell weights. I got some cheap smart speakers and mounted them to the ceiling. I had an old plasma TV that I mounted on the wall. That was great for most of the year, but since my garage isn't insulated, I found it easier to install a heater for the winter and A/C for the summer. Back in the day, I would probably consider myself "soft" for putting a heater and A/C just to keep the temperatures reasonable, but it is a somewhat substantial thing that keeps me motivated knowing that I at least have a comfortable place to workout and not worry about waking anyone up.

Not to mention that our garage is the primary way we get in and out of the house, so it serves as a constant reminder to me about working out.

 

[elliott527]

@christdisciple I go late. I use preworkout sometimes. It doesn’t keep me up . With that being said I have ADHD and take caffeine naps.

 

[lanman87]

@christdisciple I can't explain the motivation really. I have my workouts I want to fit into my week, and for whatever reason, that's enough. I will say I never regret it after I do a workout even if it is after 9 PM.

Like others have said, sleep can be messed with although for me it varies and has improved over time. I probably have more issues lately doing a hard workout at like 5 PM, because the initial wave of soreness/fatigue hits around bedtime. The main issue at like 10 or 11 PM is if I have an elevated heart rate. I do not take preworkout for anything but I am super acclimated to caffeine and can drink coke zero at 10 PM no problem.

 

[ecce]

@christdisciple I do sometimes but I work midnights so on my last night off I go workout since I have to be up late anyways. I’ll go around 11pm or so.

I don’t take caffeine in a pre workout but I have a mix with citrulline malate, Beta Alanine, Creatine and pink Himalayan salt. It aids my workout without leaving me with a stimulant late at night because I got to bed around 4am

 

[pilgrimparson]

@christdisciple I do! On the weights at 845/9 pm, wrap up by 10, shower, shave, watch some TV, bed by midnight up.at 7 am

In terms of pre-workout I normally use 100 mg of caffeine and 16 mg of ephedrine unless I really need a jolt, never had an issue sleeping

 

[neysonclark79]

@christdisciple You say you get up at 6am for work? I get up at 4am to hit the gym so it’s still possible. I am then in bed by 9:00 pm. This works well for me but may not work for you.

This also enables me to be more consistent as I am not dragging myself to the gym after a long day

 

[christdisciple]

@neysonclark79 I’ll try it but I’m not that much of a morning person. I can see how its ideal though

 

[neysonclark79]

@christdisciple It takes a pretty big adjustment time to get to it but once you circadian rhythms adjusts it’s pretty cruisy! Just means when you have a late night on a weekend you can sometimes still wake early and that can stuff you up for a day or 2

 

[brihaha]

@christdisciple Get up at 430. Not the answer you want to hear but you’ll be amazed how fast you adapt

 

[lizfromerma]

@christdisciple Energy and motivation are always in short supply at the end of a long day. 100% in the “wake up earlier” camp if you can.